JUNE 2022 THE RIDER /29


Five Components Of The Ultimate Warm Up In Horse Riding


By Kathy Farrokhzad. Every ride starts with a


warm-up. But there is a huge difference between a warm- up and a Warm-Up. Many people think that


because the horse starts the ride “cold”, that the warm- up has to be slow and under- power. They think that it takes a long time to let the horse’s body warm up and therefore, they need to take things easy. The warm-up proceeds


at a fairly leisurely pace. The legs move, the horses truck along and riders feel that in ten or fifteen minutes, the “real” work can start. They do very little during that time - just stay on and get the horse moving. There may or may not be a canter in that first fifteen minutes or so, but even if there is, the canter is stiff and laborious. After all, the horse


shouldn’t put too much ef- fort into the movement that early in the ride. Right?


The Most Important Goal in Horse Riding Regardless of disci-


pline, what would be the most significant effect a rider would want to have on her horse? We all want our horses


to improve in their athletic development, skill acquisi- tion and connectedness.


Without effective use of the hind end, the horse has more difficulty carrying the rider’s weight. The disengaged horse


moves with short strides and a hollow back. The body is stiff and difficult to bend and the horse appears to be slug- gish. Transitions come slowly. The horse leans into or out of turns. The body shows little suppleness. The top line - the area


over the back that carries the rider - sags. Combined together, it


is simple to see why slow and soft is not the way to go during a warm-up. It just isn’t healthy for the horse. Not that your riding


should be harsh or aggres- sive. Somehow, you have to find the perfect middle. So what is the alternative?


Much of our rider develop- ment and training efforts go into working toward our show or personal goals. These steps and stages are essential to our overall de- velopment. But the best riders as-


pire to do one essential thing each and every day, regard- less of goals and lesson plans.


They work hard to im-


prove their horse’s way of going. Because proper bal- ance and weight carriage is


essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute


of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well- being.


Or not.


Why You Don’t Want to “Take It Easy” in the Warm Up Despite your best in-


tentions, the horse that moves incorrectly is the horse that is hurting himself.


The Five Components of the Ultimate Warm-Up The goal of the warm-


up is not only to increase cir- culation and warm up the muscles. It is also to set the horse up to successfully carry the rider’s weight with the best balance possible on that day. Only after the horse is moving well, can the “les- son”, or more challenging part of the ride, begin.


1. Energy The key to all things


riding is energy. However, Bright Futures Scholarships Awarded


are pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural Hensall Co-op Bright Futures Scholarship. Jill Ohm and Ryan Dinsmore


and innovative ways to increase crop productivity and food animal farming


are both enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program at Guelph. “My work as an agronomist will allow me to assist farmers to grow the crops that are best for their land to produce the highest yield” says Ohm, who hails from Monkton, ON. Dinsmore hopes to learn “new


The Board of Directors and staff


to help increase yield and profitability for farmers.” Niklas Juhnke from South


tures Scholarship provides post-sec- ondary scholarships to students who are entering their first year of post-sec-


Huron received the third scholarship. His plan is to become a Chartered Pro- fessional Accountant after completing his Bachelor of Commerce at Carleton University. “My goal is to move back to the countryside to help individual farmers or work for a local business as an accountant” says Juhnke. The Hensall Co-op Bright Fu-


ondary education and have shown a career interest in agriculture or a field or trade that will advance rural com- munities and economies. Up to three $2,500 scholarships are awarded to students who are children or grand- children of individuals who were a member of Hensall Co-op or an em- ployee as of March 1 of the year of ap- plication.


Photos: From left: Jill Ohm, Ryan Dinsmore, Niklas Juhnke


be sure that the energy does- n’t translate into legs just moving quicker. Instead, use several half-halts to increase the energy without increas- ing leg speed. Transfer that energy into longer strides, a swinging back and bouncier movement (indicating better use of the muscles).


2. Topline Use The horse that uses his


top line develops good lon- gitudinal flexion. In clearer terms, being supple over the top of the back means that the horse can carry the rider’s weight in a healthier fashion. The muscles con- tract and release in tandem to allow the horse’s back to act as a muscle “bridge” - thereby relieving some of the pressure off the horse’s joints while it moves.


3. Bend Every horse has a stiff


and hollow side, but letting him go about the ring in ten- sion is not the answer to the problem. In contrast, work on developing a deeper bend left and right early in the ride. The horse that has lat- eral suppleness has better


balance.


4. Straightness The horse that can bend


well is also the horse that can move straight. In order to be straight, the horse’s hind footprints should land into the same track as the front footprints. Beware! True straightness is difficult to develop and takes years of consistent riding to achieve.


5. Rhythm There is little else in


riding that is as essential as rhythm. Every other move- ment, skill or technique builds upon regular, ca- denced footfalls regardless of gait. The warm up should be devoted to developing rhythm - sometimes quicker, sometimes slower and most often, the rhythm that is most ideal for your horse (horses may have different perfect rhythms). Your warm-up may


take only 15 minutes, or it may take up the majority of your ride on a given day. The length of time devoted to improving your horse’s movement is always well spent, regardless of whether it seems to take longer than


you initially intended. Although it seems


counter-intuitive to ask for energy and suppleness early in the ride, it makes the most sense when considered from the horse’s perspective. Sim- ply put, weight-bearing re- quires energy, strength and suppleness. Instead of letting your horse move along in an unhealthy fashion, amp up the warm-up, ride effec- tively, get you and your horse breathing and work to- ward correct movement right from the get-go. Then listen to your horse and see what he says.


Bio: Kathy Farrokhzad is an EC coach and author of the Horse Listening book col- lection, Goal Setting For The Equestrian: A Personal Workbook, and the creator of the Practice Sessions on- line program. If you liked what you read here, check out her blog at HorseListen- ing.com for many more arti- cles about horses, riding and life in general. She is also a private online tutor for K-Gr. 6 children at SchoolSuccess- Mastery.com.


Central Conceit is a solid, 16hh, 4-year-old filly. CC could go in many directions as she would look great in western tack to work in western disciplines, but also could do English trails or has the size and body to be a low-level hunter. If you're interested in meeting “Central Conceit” please contact LongRun!


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